"Afterwards, in dunging behind a bush, I found a March-cat, and with it I wiped my breech, but her claws were so sharp that they scratched and exulcerated all my perinee…"

The interweb is a wonderful series of tubes which often directs to my lappy the most wondrous of sights and sounds. For example right now I’m listening to Yo La Tengo (one of my very favourite bands) playing live on WFMU. I love technology!

I started thinking about Robin, Clive and Mike earlier tonight after a conversation. These guys have been firm favourites of mine since my teenage years. For more than 20 years (that’s right, I’m a really old phuquer).

I’ve been playing City and Eastern Songs in the car quite a bit of late. My daughter Lauren has really taken to it too; she sings along to Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror with verve and gusto as we drive around the shitty of Nublid. The other day she asked me who Will Oldham was and, after I told her a little about him, she insisted on listening to his music. Luckily for me (because she can get a little tetchy if she doesn’t get her way) I had one of his albums in the car. Soon she was singing along to Idle Hands are the Devil’s Playthings. Would she lose interest in me as easily I wondered…

It seems ironic that electro/techno/house music, which can seem so artificial to many because it is produced using electronic machinery (therefore, lacking human input – tosh!), can deliver musical pieces which seem to engender a melancholic edge – music that is simply achingly beautiful, but sad with tones of melancholy permeating through every machine-produced chord.

I was always fascinated by UR; their imagery, their cultural references, their politics, the dystopian vision of the future, the awareness of the past. The music seemed to be both tragic / melancholic, and euphoric; it spoke of injustice, of oppression, of retribution and freedom. UR were true revolutionaries.

While reading the article I thought of UR003. It may seem like an obvious choice, but I won’t apologize because I love this track so much. But as I continued to read I thought of many other tracks I hold in equal regard (some of which aidano listed in his post). Tracks of such aching beauty they would give pause to even the most vile neocon warmonger. So I think over the next while I’m going to track down my favourite tunes from Detroit and Chicago and post them here, just for the heck of it.

Well I’m not going to say drum & bass is dead because there are some artists who still sell very well and dj all over the globe but jungle, it’s ideas, attitude & ethos are well and truly gone. That whole ‘black’ influence on the music from guys like Ibiza Records, Production House, (early) Formation Records, (early) Full Cycle, Tom & Jerry and Shut up and Dance has completely disappeared , unfortunately.

Ain’t it the truth. Very interesting interview (good work Aidano). I confess I’m not very familiar with this guy’s work, having long since fallen out of touch with many genres of electronic music over the last few years (what can I say… I’m old), but this guy sounds very interesting, and after reading this interview I’m going to make a real effort to get my hands on as much of his music as I can.

And by the way, just in case you don’t know who Shut Up And Dance are, check this out;